Another thing that could be interesting is seeing Jewish culture in Germany and Germany's puppet states seeing a renaissance, especially during the interwar period. While Imperial Germany wasn't without it's antisemitism (just look at the Judenzahlung during ww1) it still passed laws that gave jews complete equality when it was founded and I doubt that the Jewish soldiers that died fighting for imperial Germany and the 18,000 jewish soldiers rewarded with the iron cross would be forgotten anytime soon. Hell I could see Imperial Germany encouraging it as a propaganda counterweight against Russia.
The Fire Never Dies Pop Culture Collaborative Thread
- Thread starter Meshakhad
- Start date
There is another route to go with Superman...keep his OTL powers, but he doesn't consider himself to be a hero despite what everyone says to the contrary. This was actually touched upon in the novelization of Superman Returns:
It could be a very interesting setup.
I like that. It even fits nicely into a socialist ideal: Superman doesn't use his powers to advance HIMSELF, he uses them for the betterment of all.
Doesn't he already do that?
The concept of a superhero is, from a socialist lens, kind of fascistic. Single chosen (by whom? Blessed by God?) savior figures who defeat single identifiable evil individuals?
Not really. I can't find the video that demonstrated this rather well, but Superheroes at their best written don't horde power for the sake of it or elevating themselves at the expense of an easy outgroup, they sacrifice every day for the betterment of all.
Invincible, The Boys, The '90s Dark Age, others? Yes, those have gone the dark path, but they either misunderstand the material or are specifically writing a universe to either deconstruct the genre or make a point.
There's also the idea of the fact that Superman's powers or his supposedly 'superior' Krypton Genetics didn't make him the man he is. You know what did? Martha and John Kent, two people who saw a child alone and decided to show it kindness and adopt him. If anything, it's even MORE important now that his powers are amazing, to be a COUNTERPOINT to Fangalism/Fascism. Kal El has ALL the power he needs to be a GOD on Earth, to rule with a velvet covered iron fist. But No. Because of how he was raised, because of who he is, he chooses to be a MAN and not a God. He Chose Clark Kent, HE CHOSE Superman. He chooses to help his fellow man, to use his power for the betterment of ALL.
I found a decent replacement video:
If you trust anyone on Comic Stuff, trust this man.
Edit:
Like my idea for Batman: Split the character in two. Tragedy that kills the Waynes is very much tied into the idea that Money doesn't make people evil on it's own. They were trying to shelter revolutionaries, and got got by the KKK(and the Court of Owls).
1. We get Thomas Wayne Jr. During the tragedy, he's (accidentlally) saved by an Early Intro'd Court of Owls, who were actually there to grab the Wayne Fortune but don't tell Tommy that, and trained by them. HE is the 'Rich Man going out and pummeling the Mentally unstable' with the support of his Fortune through the Court of Owls. The rather creatively named Owlman makes his debut going after the harmless poor, blaming them for Gotham's high crime rate...which is actually the fault of the CoO...but they don't really tell Thomas much...in fact, he may be as much a victim of the Court as his parents were
2. Bruce Wayne. He was saved by Alfred, who thinks Thomas is dead and blames himself for the failure. With Brucie, his training 'trip' in this verse is him traveling across the ASU with his Adoptive Father, learning all kinds of things from the various people of America. THOMAS gets all the experts from across the world that take exorbinant amounts of money to find and hire. Bruce? He learned martial arts working the train lines in the West, where he built up his strength and endurance. This story would echo around the ASU as Brucey learns all kinds of things. When we get to GOtham. Batman isn't a lone rich dude in Spandex. He's part of a top secret Gotham Law Enforcement Initiative. Not as many fancy gadgets as Owlman or OUR Bruce, at least not at first, but he does some really interesting stuff with whatever he has lying around.
Robins though is a puzzler. The Talons in this verse are easy. We take the darker twists on the Robin idea more questionable writers have added and we add that FULL FORCE to the Court of Owls. They're the 'Soldiers' that 'Honor' Owlman. If Batman has Robins, they'll be his CHILDREN MILLER!!!
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Moving on from comics, one thing I do wonder about is several of the key post-WW1 writers and how different their outputs would be. For instance, JRR Tolkin is going to be writing a story about the dangers of war, the brutality of conflict and the need for a peaceful and rural existence in a society that is increasingly militant, afraid, and likely hostile to such thinking. His work likely gets seen as massively subversive in its own time. Meanwhile, the entire genre of dystopias would be radically different as many of the key works in that genre were reactions to the actions of groups like the Nazis and Bolsheviks directly. Orwell's entire bibliography would be different in this world because several of his key books are directly targeted takedowns of Stalin and Hitler.
Orwell and possibly Tolkein will be leaving the UK. Orwell's works will instead be takedowns of the Falangist leaders (especially [REDACTED]), probably with some shade thrown towards the Bolsheviks, who will still be a thing in parts of Europe. I could see Tolkien ending up in Germany during the war and becoming a staunch supporter of German-style semi-constitutional monarchy.
Another post-WW1 writer I have given thought to is H.P. Lovecraft. He will be seen by many as a voice for the former American bourgeoisie who have made peace with socialism (Lovecraft himself will probably be a Rayburnite). The major changes in his writings will be much less overt racism, a lot more villains who are inbred upper-class types, and a greater emphasis on lost civilizations like Carcosa or the Elder Things, with a theme of such civilizations being both great and corrupt, with their destruction being a tragic necessity - a metaphor for mourning the elite culture he grew up in while recognizing that it ultimately had to go. This might help him find broader readership and a greater income, possibly extending his life and career.
Hot take - I think Batman's original backstory would work just fine in your TL with only a few modifications
Basically the way I would have it is have Thomas & Martha way still be part of the 1% but be tragic figures with the former having Bruce's talent for gadgets and technology but utterly wasting it on luxury goods while the later has his passion and kind heart that are squandered by being chained by a sexist society, both tragically dying due to their social negligence and lack of awareness ultimately creating their killer, with little Bruce being disowed of his parents's mega corporation by the leading corporate directory and thus being forced to live like a common person under the tutelage of Alfred(who himself is part of the working class) leading to his creation of the persona of Batman as result of his pursuit of justice against not just the muggler who killed his parents but the system that created this cycle of criminality & violence, playing a shakesperean role where he has to reclaim the Wayne Corp in his earlier issues as it's rightful heir bur not for himself and instead for the operarians who work alongside him, turning it into a worker cooperative devoid of a corporate council or a single owner
TLDR - Batman is Red Hamlet
Of course with comics being comics and the way the capitalists would be seen in this America I believe there would be more than one canon in which his parents are removed from this nuance and portrayed as completely morally bankrupt if not downright evil as well as some issues trying to recreate his backstory while divorcing him from the rich parents idea, but overall I think it would work as a way to show how the mentality of the bourgeoisie blinded them to their own downfall as well as destroying their potential as contributing individuals of society and only by learning class consciousness by becoming a worker himself Batman was able to truly fight against the social injustice spread through the system his parents helped to maintain by fighting alongside his peers
To be clear, if your Batman lore is already estabilished Im definitely NOT telling you to change it
I think it is fine and more plausible to the setting than what I suggested, I just wanted to point out that his original concept doesnt have to be antithetical to a socialist society if you were to reinterpret the premise
I think it is fine and more plausible to the setting than what I suggested, I just wanted to point out that his original concept doesnt have to be antithetical to a socialist society if you were to reinterpret the premise